Diamond Challenge.

Posted on 16th Oct 2015 by essiep

11°C, grey cloud and fairly still.
The Diamond Challenge: is a 60th year event run by DofE. We’re invited to submit a challenge, made to ourselves, and raise £60. An appealing idea, it’s just a question of choosing which one.
1. End to end. Cycle from Land’s End to John O’ Groats. 900 miles, roughly.
2. Inaccessible Pinnacle, on Skye, a stack climb that needs ropes.
3. Three Peaks. Again?
4. The five Sisters of Kintail, actually seven Munros including a wild-camp.

Or…do more than one from this list?

The Diamond Challenge site suggests ‘pushing yourself out of your loosen zone’. A cliché, I know but I thought this over. If I pick one of the above, I would be right there, in the dead middle of my comfort zone. That’s where I feel the best. Does that mean I can’t do one from that list?
Well, I might anyway.

Most people get…

Posted on 13th Oct 2015 by essiep

10°C, bright with light NE breeze.
…a spider walk on their face in the night. Well, some do. No, not me, I get an Oak Bush Cricket.

Here she is, still in my bedroom looking healthy enough. I put her outside so she can get on with hunting nocturnal insects, which is her normal occupation.

later; I only noticed later, on looking at the photos that she only has five legs.
Maybe there is a leg in my room somewhere.

BMI 23.4

Posted on 11th Oct 2015 by essiep

12°C, grey but dry.
Two months ago, I weighed 14St 12lbs. That’s too much, clothes were getting tighter, and my BMI was at the top of the range (25).
Most of it was lost on the Scotland hiking trip: 8lbs lost, 2lbs in Corsica and the rest since the return to work.
All I want to do is keep it just below 14St.

A roller-coaster journey.

Posted on 8th Oct 2015 by essiep

14°C, sunny but fresh.

Drove the car today. I’m not well enough to cycle.
A spider was busy on the wing mirror through the whole 10 miles. With up to 40 mph headwind, I could see her attempting to build a Web. I could steal a glimpse of those finger like legs pulling at threads in the buffeting. Next, the car hit a bump and she was gone.
I was devastated, after all that work had she dropped under the wheels of a following Vauxhal? A mile later, the lights were red. Then she came out from the mirror! The relief! That feeling set me up for the whole day.
Grins.
Last summer, I brought a spider back 300 miles from Scotland that way. You’ve got to admire tenacity when you see it.

End of the day.

Posted on 7th Oct 2015 by essiep

13°C, sunny with easterly breeze.
Drawing: put something, anything between work and bed in the evening.

Tiny A6 sketchbook with a cheap propelling pencil. The paper isn’t really this sallow.

House-full.

Posted on 4th Oct 2015 by essiep

15°C, still and sunny.
I rode Racelite with MapMyRide+! Distance: 36.92mi, time: 02:23:08, pace: 3:53min/mi, speed: 15.48mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1197051723
Returned in failing light.

Both new lodgers are now moved in. It’s been a year since the last one moved out. On getting home after the bike ride, I had to smile. The place was busy with house-making activity. One was cooking; the other, fixing his room. A nice homecoming.

Showrooms no more.

Posted on 3rd Oct 2015 by essiep

15°C, waves of sun and thin fog.

Finally, no more long hours choosing a car, I’m sick of car showrooms. The hours I have spent in these places over the last 3 weeks!
I went back to VW and put a deposit a Golf estate. Back to the first car after test driving 5 others from Audi and Volvo.

Continue reading →

2nd New lodger.

Posted on 1st Oct 2015 by essiep

I rode Arrow with MapMyRide+! Distance: 29.1mi, time: 01:56:19, pace: 4:00min/mi, speed: 15.03mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1193551675
Extended tonight’s ride since Parents’ Evening prevented me cycling yesterday. The route was the same as Tuesday’s. This time was a little later, taking me into Bat Time.
Got myself another lodger, that makes two. A young bloke who seems like a true gentleman. After I met him on Monday and showed him the room, I was hopeful that he would accept. He has.

Fruit of my labours. Scrumped from the same tree I pass every evening on the route home.

Charmed visitor.

Posted on 29th Sep 2015 by essiep

Foggy morning, and warm sun later.
This gave me a start this morning.

It was there, on my sleeve as I started to pull my jersey on. I was immediately enchanted. What a wonderful thing to see, it made my day. He’s outside now, birds and bats permitting.
Jess, a friend tells me it’s a Scoliopteryx libatrix (The Herald). They can live in ivy (which does indeed grow by my bedroom window). Possibly, it was looking for somewhere to hibernate, though it seems a bit early for that.

Supermoon lunar eclipse.

Posted on 28th Sep 2015 by essiep

7°C, clear and still.
Alarm set for 02.50am. Perfect conditions.

Total lunar eclipse

I leant out the window and saw this. It only took half an hour to get the camera and tripod. My lens is limited to 200mm, so here’s the best I could do.
The supermoon wasn’t really apparent. High in the sky with no nearby reference, the size looked normal to me.

Micycle

Mike thinks b/hikes

Author Archives: essiep